Tips on getting your ASP.NET Dynamic Data questions answered quickly

When you run into an issue or have a question about ASP.NET Dynamic Data, the best place for it is the Dynamic Data Forum.  When you write your question, there are a few simple things that you can do to make it easier for the ‘experts’ to answer (and hence to get an answer quicker!).

1. Mention what environment you’re running in

a. What ORM framework you are using

Out of the box, Dynamic Data supports LINQ To SQL and Entity Framework.  While they seem similar on the surface, they are actually fairly different once you get a little deeper into the API.  Just mention which one you’re using and you’ll save a roundtrip.

b. What web server are you using

Most likely, you are using either “Cassini” (the test web server built in Visual Studio), IIS6 (on Pre-Vista OSes), or IIS7 (on Vista, Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008).  In some cases it makes a relevant difference, so it’s good to mention it.

c. What Dynamic Data release are you using

The official release of Dynamic Data is the one that comes with .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 (or Visual Studio 2008 SP1).  There are also various preview bits and samples that you can download from Codeplex.  Just mention exactly what you are using.  If you’re using some preview bits, you can include a link to them to them to remove any ambiguity.

2. When possible, report issues using a standard database

Obviously, we don’t expect you to use Northwind or Adventure Works in your real project.  But when you run into an issue with your custom schema, you should always check whether you are able to see the same thing with the standard DBs.  Those DBs have schemas which contain many of the common patterns that you may be using.  e.g. For One to Many relationship, you Northwind’s Product/Category, and for Many To Many, use Employees/Territories.

There are a few reasons why doing this is preferred.  First, most readers are familiar with those schemas, so they can make sense of the situation quicker without having to analyze a custom schema.  It also makes it a lot easier for people to try to reproduce the issue you’re seeing, since everyone has those sample databases.  And finally, if the issue calls for a sample that demonstrates a workaround, using the standard DB, makes it much more useful to everyone else who runs into it.

Clearly, there are some situation where your custom schema is just different and using the standard DBs will not work.  In those cases, just try to precisely describe your schema.  Including a diagram or the SQL DDL can help too.  In a nutshell, make sure that a reader not familiar with your database will understand enough of it to make sense of your question.

3. Try to isolate the issue

If an issue you see in a complex scenario can also be seen in a simpler scenario, it is always better to report it on the simpler scenario.  It makes the question shorter and easier to read, as it keeps it focused on the essential.

4. Disable AJAX partial rendering

If you’re getting Javascript errors, the first thing you should try to to disable AJAX partial rendering.  Please see this post for more details on this.

5. Include complete stack traces

If you’re getting an error in the browser, make sure you include the full stack trace that you see in there, and not just the text of the error.  Looking through a stack trace can reveal some important clues about the issue.

Comments

• Anonymous
  February 04, 2009
  Hi, We are new to DynamicDataControls. We have a Insert page with DetailView and we have a DropDown which is bind with different table. Now we want to hide some fields on the selection which user has selected in the dropdown. We are not able to get SelectedIndexChanged Event of the DynamicDataControl. Is there any way to achive this.

• Anonymous
  February 05, 2009
  Hi Rahul, The best place for all questions in the forum (http://forums.asp.net/1145.aspx). thanks, David

• Anonymous
  February 12, 2009
  Please post corrections/new submissions to the Dynamic Data Forum . Put FAQ Submission/Correction in

• Anonymous
  February 23, 2009
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  February 23, 2009
  Podcasts/Webcasts ASP.NET Podcast Show #136 - Rachel Appel (hey, that's me!) on Dynamic Data: http://tinyurl.com/dlr6oy

• Anonymous
  March 16, 2009
  Hi, We are new to dynamic data. We are using ListDetails page to dispaly the records in the gridview binded to EntityDataSource. What we are trying here is, to add new row to the grid on an external button click. Using this user can enter new data and save to the DB

• Anonymous
  March 16, 2009
  Hi, We are new to dynamic data. We are using ListDetails page to dispaly records in a gridview binded to an EntityDataSource. What we are trying here is, to add new row to the grid on an external button click. Using this new row user can enter new data and save to the DB Any help would be greatful. Ram

• Anonymous
  August 21, 2011
  I must say, I do find it funny how you write instructions on how to ask for help, and then people directly below what you have written don't follow your instructions.  For some, there's no hope.